Aug 30, 2010

Meeting of Rotary Club of Eureka

August 30, 2010

The meeting was called to order by club President Carlton Nielsen. Brian Papstein gave the pledge and Ryan Fray led the invocation after he said Mike Moreland was recovering and regaining feeling and use of his limbs.

Sally Arnot introduced Visiting Rotarians; there was but one, Liana Simpson from Old Town Club.

Guests of Rotarians

Steve Justus introduced his friend Ron Goodwin from Baker City, Oregon; John Macbeth brought a friend, Chuck Elsworth with All Points Signs; and Mike Cunningham introduced two friends, Anthony and Anne Antoville, who work with Champion Advocates LLC in Eureka.

Student Guests

Our new exchange student Gabriel Umidon from Milan, Italy missed the meeting; but he is taking calculus, physics and chemistry, and is playing varsity football (and his courses require at least two expensive calculators according to President Nielsen). Excused absence.

Don Leonard mentioned the Sign Smith foundation and said grant applications must be turned in by September 30th. Small grants are $500 - $2,000 and Carol Riche is the chair of that committee.

Recognitions

Jeff Marsee was in the paper and sure to get a fine after telling the President he looked like a Shriner.

Jeff’s media attention was due to the season of back-to-school. CR has the equivalent of 6,000 full time students and many new programs. Jeff was fined $64 and rounded it up to $100.

Will Kay missed the President’s first meeting due to the fact that his stepson was busy producing another grandson.

$50 to backpacks from Will.

The grant for Safe Blood in Africa has been approved, in part at least explaining President Carlton’s strange hat. The program that will result from this grant has the possibility of saving thousands of lives in Nigeria.

Richard Boroughs: wrote a book and had it published.

You Want What I Have, a story about a man who starts a business that goes sour,

but eventually turns it around. It is 356 pages long—that should be worth a hundred bucks: thanks Richard.

Past President Steve Justus complained about the last minute change of program and ended up paying $100 to Paul Harris.

Program

Rick Littlefield introduced his friend Phillippe Lapotre (of Lapotre and Cleek) an architect who has worked on quite a few local projects and is currently working on the waterfront development. Philippe came to HumboldtCounty in 1988 and has two daughters and a son who graduated from EurekaHigh School and moved to Oregon. He explained groundwork for the Eureka waterfront development began about 20 years ago when the waterfront was in sorry shape (Amen from this reporter!).

He showed many pictures, including the dedication of the boardwalk and the various improvements made at the food of F Street and more to come at the foot of C Street. Phillippe’s work is primarily where the industrial and tourist parts of the harbor meet near C Street. He showed diagrams of the Foot of ”C” Street Open Layout. A fish market, farmer’s market and tickets to the Madaket are all on the drawing board for the Fisherman’s Terminal. The building is quite ‘green’ in terms of the insulation, use of recycled materials and heating. The terminal building will probably be completed in late spring, in spite of the many complications with the foundation.

Aug 23, 2010

Meeting of Rotary Club of Eureka
August 23, 2010

The meeting was called to order by club President Carlton Nielsen. Susie Smelser gave the pledge and Ron Pierre led the invocation after he said Mike Moreland was recovering and reminded us to continue prayers for Mike.

John Bartholomew introduced Cindy Denbo, Heidi Benzonelli, and John Dalby, all of the Southwest Rotary Club of Eureka.

Guests of Rotarians
Kim Bauriedel had his wife Sile at his side. Virginia Bass introduced her son, Jason Wattle, a “Major” in United States Marine Corp. (well he’s actually a Sergeant, but Mom gave him a promotion). Jason took a few minutes to tell us about his deployments, but asked this reporter to say nothing about his particular assignments. He was welcomed warmly and received a standing ovation for his service to our country.
Greg Williston brought Arnie Henskovic and John Macbeth’s guest was Dale Marmouth.
(There were a few others and I apologize for missing the names. DJP)

Program
Tom McMurray introduced Gideon Lustig, Israeli Consul General to the Pacific Northwest.

Prior to serving as a diplomat, Mr. Lustig served as an officer in the Israeli defense forces, rising to the rank of major. He was his wife to be’s commanding officer at the time, and they get along better now. Gideon articulated the Israeli position regarding relations between Israel and its neighbors. He approves the prospect of peace talks soon to begin. What took so long? Palestinians refused to talk unless Israel promised to stop building on the West Bank. This was not an easy request for Israel, but recently, the Israeli government promised an eight-month moratorium on building in the West Bank. Palestine also wanted Israel to stop building in Jerusalem. Israel said, “No” to this request. But outside pressures have led to the table. Both sides are very skeptical that the talks will be productive, perhaps because of the leadership of Presidents Netanyahu of Israel and Abbas of Palestine. There is distrust on both sides.

Israel is small, easily fitting within California between Los Angeles and San Francisco. It is a narrow-wasted land from east to West, sandwiched between Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea. Since its founding in 1947 Israel is composed of many Jewish refugees mostly from Europe, but also from neighboring Arab countries.

In the 1967 War Israel conquered both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank: respectively belonging to Egypt and Jordan. When those territories were conquered none of the Arab countries would grant them citizenship except Jordan and Israel. Israel wants recognition as a Jewish Homeland and shuns the idea of allowing the West Bank to become a second Palestinian country next to Jordan.
Gaza was given to the Palestinian Authority in 2005 but neither the Palestinian Authority, nor the Hamas government has treated the Palestinians well. Mr. Lustig reminded us that since the Gaza Strip was given back to Palestinians in 2005 over 10,000 missiles have been launched into Israel from Gaza.
Mr. Lustig says Iran desires to be the hegemonic country of the Middle East, having stated its intention to wipe Israel off the map. Iran hopes to extend its influence through its military and the acquisition of a nuclear weapon. Iran poses a threat not only to Israel but also to other countries within the Middle East. Therefore a nuclear threat issuing from Iran would make many of the neighboring Arab countries feel threatened because they are Sunni rather than Shiite. Hezbollah’s presence in Lebanon also poses a threat to Israel and peace in the Middle East.
Mr. Lustig concluded with two points:

1. There is a bigger picture than just Israel. The radical camp of Islam is headed by Iran and Syria and the more moderate camp centers around Egypt and Saudi Arabia. These factions will likely be fighting for control of the Middle East for a long time.
2. Israel must side with the moderate Islamic nations and seek peace.
During the question and answer time Gideon said that over 100,000 Israelis have died in their various wars since being founded in 1948 and he hopes for a day when Israel will not have to have an army.

Aug 18, 2010

Meeting of Rotary Club of EurekaAugust 16, 2010

The meeting was called to order by club President Carlton Nielsen. Jamie Carroll gave the pledge by way of singing our national anthem; Ryan Fray reminded us to pray for Mike Moreland and Don Brown and did so as we were convened.

AnnouncementsThe 1923 Committee meets for dinner at the Lost Coast Brewery this Wednesday at 5:30.August 23rd our program will be from Gideon Lustig, Israeli Consul to the US.

Don Smullin received his blue and Susie Smelser her red badge: both were pinned by our District Governor, Jim Flamson. Susie was given a Rotary pin to wear on her scouting uniform, and in return offered us free Boy Scout calendars.

Special Presentation to Dave Dillon

John Winzler recalls Dave being a banker for over 40 years before he retired. Dave moved from Washington to San Francisco to Eureka, arriving in Humboldt County “of his own choice.” Dave and his bank loans got John and his business through many a scrape over the years. Others who have run businesses in Humboldt could testify to the same. Dave joined Rotary in 1957 and our Eureka club in 1963. Dave served as our club president in 1997-98. He established the Wolford Scholarship that continues to this day, helped us clean up our bookkeeping, got a number of service projects going and later served as secretary for two years. He even used mimeograph machine to publish the Burl at one time.Bill McAuley recounted Dave’s contributions as District Governor. We all know Dave is extremely organized and very detail oriented, yet Bill commended Dave for also staying focused on the “big picture.” Bill noted Dave’s many contributions initiating and promoting the student exchange programs. It is no exaggeration to say that Dave is the “Father of the youth exchange” in our club and district, a program that by now has seen over 300 inbound and outbound students. Dave embodies the Rotary ideal of "service above self." District Governor Jim Flamson pinned Dave’s lapel with a stone that means Dave has now earned his original Paul Harris Fellowship plus seven more. This Paul Harris award was given to his granddaughter Samantha Hovis, whose accomplishments in school, international travel and music are very impressive—the grand-apples don’t fall far from the tree.

ProgramSteve Justus introduced our District Governor (DG) Jim Flamson and his wife Kathy. Kathy is a past president of the Rotary Club of Calistoga. Jim and Kathy have both been very involved not only in Rotary, but also in Boy Scouts of America, receiving the Cliff Dochterman award for their service. They have traveled extensively on behalf of Rotary. Jim mentioned that the theme for 2010-2011 is ‘generators’ seeking to find and recognize those who generate action and service within Rotary. Eric Bergel was awarded an honorary ‘generator’ pin for our club. Years ago Jim became very involved in the Rotary club of Calistoga and his community as well. After a twelve year absence, Jim returned to Rotary upon the invitation of a Rotarian friend. He reminded us that there could well be some in our community who simply need to be invited back. Jim’s current goal is to see Rotary become: Bigger, Better and Bolder. Goal #1 ‘Bigger.’ This means more members in Rotary. Goal #2 ‘Better,’ means more involved in the community toward the betterment of people’s lives. When you ask a Rotarian to do something they typically help, and then say, “What else can I do?” Goal #3 ‘Bolder’ means we should be willing to tackle some big issues. For example, solving global warming. The GreenPlus program is an attempt to do just that. The five-fold mandates of the program are as following. #1 Every member of Rotary Club will walk, cycle, carpool, or take public transportation to 5 meetings per year. #2 Every Rotary member will plant 5 trees per year. #3 Each member will plug in at least 5 devices into power strips and turn off the strips when not in use. #4 Every member will replace 5 incandescent light bulbs with five compact fluorescent light bulbs, and #5, each member will recycle 5 categories of throwaway items such as aluminum cans, paper, plastic, glass batteries or ink cartridges. Jim says all clubs of district 5130 are committed to reducing our carbon footprint by living simpler, less consumptive lives.Finishing polio eradication also remains a high priority for Rotary, says Jim. Polio is all but eradicated in both Africa and India. But in Pakistan and other places there are several hundred cases of polio breaking out each year. Jim encouraged us to continue fighting polio and especially to keep contributing to the Rotary Foundation. He closed with this: “Never doubt that a handful of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world.”

Aug 9, 2010

Meeting of Rotary Club of EurekaAugust 9, 2010

The meeting was called to order by President Carlton Nielsen. Dennis Hunter gave the pledge and Greg Williston the invocation; Greg read a prayer encouraging us to consider how a small group of people could make a big difference in the world.

Guests of RotariansAnne and Scott Loring were guests of Ted Loring Jr., and Libo Zhu, the new owner of Eureka Inn, a guest of Gregg Gardiner. Dale Warmouth was guest of John Macbeth, Don Smullin Executive Director of St. Vincent De Paul a guest of Steve Justus, and Susie Smelser, District Executive of Boy Scouts, a guest of Kim Bauriedel.

Greg Williston’s wife, Laura was here and he mentioned that they celebrate their 25th anniversary tomorrow. Greg offered to add $101 to the Paul Harris fund and later another $24.

Dave Dillon had his son-in-law Joel Wiley as his guest. Dave and Carol Dillon will celebrate their 60th anniversary on the 13th of August at the First Presbyterian Church of Eureka (2-4pm). He plans to take Carol to the A’s ball diamond in celebration of their diamond anniversary. $10er, 11 to Polio Plus, Dave.

Our new exchange student will be here August 12th, also August 12th at Humboldt County Fairgrounds will be a Rotary Barbecue cook off where Carlton Nielsen and Jason Eads will uphold our reputation at the barbecue pit. Club members are encouraged to attend.

AnnouncementsOur District Governor Jim Flamson will be here August 16th so do not plan to leave early. August 23rd our program will be from Gideon Lustig, Israeli consul to the US, so please check political positions at the door.

Former President Steve Justus offered to pay $20 for... well, a dog barking, or perhaps, it became so convoluted that he simply put $20 on the table.

Greg Williston was in Chicago for a family wedding and picked up a younger son and his parents met him there and took the grandkids to Egypt. That cost $24 for Greg.

ProgramDavid Loring having returned recently from Germany, said, “Ich liebe das Leben.” It means “I love life.” He obviously loved his year in Germany. Germany is fairly densely populated, being a bit smaller than California but having more than twice the population. David lived in the Rhineland Region in a quaint town called Bad Neuenahr-Arweiller that has much culture, tradition and wine. David was impressed by how many old things there are in Germany, especially compared to California. For examples: the Cologne Cathedral was about an hour away, and windmills were aesthetically pleasing (but not old, at least the windmills in his pictures weren’t). Winter was snowy and carnivals were plentiful especially in February. David said many of the impressions we have of Germany come from Bavaria, and the beer steins and lederhosen look a lot different where David lived because they don’t exist in that region. David answered questions and communicated obvious enthusiasm for his year abroad, thanking our club for the opportunity to live and study in Germany.

Aug 3, 2010

Burl 8/2/2010

The mystery of the missing bell continues. President Carlton started the meeting with the pitiful clanking of his miniature cowbell. Dan Price gave the invocation. Anniversary celebrators included George Owren and his wife Gail (46 years) and Pat Folkins and his wife Shiela (50 years). They each had to convert their years to dollars for recognition.

District Governor Jim Clancy will be visiting us on August 16. If you attend, plan to stay for the entire meeting. Other upcoming events include the Rotary Barbeque contest on August 12 at the Humboldt County Fair. Judging is at 2 pm. Celebrity Judge will be Guy Fieri, who has a show on the Food Channel and a game show called Minute To Win It on NBC.

On the 20th, Rotary Youth Exchange is having a rafting trip. If you want to go, see Eric Bergel.

President Carlton then donned his fining hat. This week’s hat was a white conical felt affair that made him look like a mushroom. It is to be worn in Russian Saunas to keep your hair from scorching. There were Cyrillic letters on the front which, when translated, said “Dunce”.

Jason Eads was recognized for selling his own Barbeque Sauce. The jars of sauce are available at 2 Street Music and Ace hardware in Fortuna. The publicity cost him $20.

Our program was a presentation on the Joint US Military Pain Task Force. Our speaker was Dr. Kevin Brady who is a Lt. Colonel in the Army. He has recently relocated to Humboldt County. When he’s not deployed to Iraq, he works as a heart surgeon and heads ICU at St. Joseph Hospital. The Task Force is a collaborative effort by the various branches of the Service that focuses on improving pain management of our “wounded warriors”. Advances in body armor, medicine and transportation of casualties have cut the death rate to 10%. This means more surviving wounded who need care. Traditional pain management involved narcotics, but recent developments like the peripheral nerve blocking catheter and the use of analgesics mean less dependence on morphine. The catheters are 20 to 30 times more effective than the old methods, and can make a huge difference during the patient’s long plane ride back to Walter Reed in the states. Dr. Brady’s visual aids included lots of graphic photos of battle wounds and catheter insertions, interspersed with pictures of his niece. It was a good thing that everyone had already eaten.

Backpacks For Kids

Backpack assembly is held during the school year at 4:00pm on Thursdays at Humboldt Moving & Storage on Albee Street in Eureka, between 14th & 15th Streets. For more information, please contact Mindy Bussman.